Peloton!

_posts/2019-01-13-peloton-worth-the-hype.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: "Peloton: worth the hype."
+tags:
+- alc
+- opinion
+---
+
+Wrapping up work some afternoon last November, I waltzed into the living room
+and found myself in the middle of one of those conversations where you weren't
+actually necessary for the first half. "It will be great for you to train for
+[ALC](http://tofighthiv.org/goto/rtyler) too!" She continued to talk excitedly
+about how we wouldn't pay for the spin studio anymore, how convenient it will
+be, and how it would really be a good Christmas present. She showed me the
+price and I hummed to myself, giving the appearance of stern but deliberate
+thought "yeah, we'll see." Having already started to price out more cycling
+equipment, I didn't want to give up the gag just yet.
+
+In the world of cycling, everything seems to be godawful expensive, so a
+[$2,300 indoor trainer](https://www.onepeloton.com/shop/bike) which we could
+both get a lot of use out of, wasn't actually _that_ expensive. I wouldn't call
+it cheap, but it was reasonably priced, and I quietly ordered a Peloton bike.
+Without the flexibility in either of our schedules to travel to a fitness
+studio or gym outside the home, the ability to get a good high-quality workout
+in our living room has become increasingly important.
+
+
+After a couple of months, I am nearing my 50th workout, and I can genuinely affirm
+that the Peloton bike and it's corresponding digital subscription of hundreds
+of spin, yoga, stretching, and strength floor classes, is **completely worth
+the hype and the money**.
+
+The last time I felt this good about a seemingly high-end product was when I
+upgraded from my iBook to an Apple PowerBook and was shocked at how _good_ it
+was, wholly justifying its own premium price tag.
+
+Peloton is basically a minimal social network, coupled to a on-demand video
+library sourced through an Android tablet affixed to a stationary bike. It is
+not a technically complex product, but polished in all the right places to
+provide an altogether positive experience.
+
+Instructors with live classes, encouraging and challenging the leaderboard of
+home and in-studio cyclists. Built in "Cast" support to display the content on
+a nearby wireless-connected TV for easy transition to floor exercises.
+Integration of power zones into the in-class UI to help tailor the workout to
+the rider. And a variety of content trivially available through the
+application.
+
+The **only** downside we have seen thus far is that Peloton ships with
+outdated [Look](https://www.lookcycle.com/en/) "Delta" pedals. These style
+pedals are no longer manufactured and if you find yourself wanting to use the
+same bike shoes and cleats between the Peloton and your road bike, you'll want
+to buy new pedals for the Peloton.
+
+
+If you're in the market for a stationary bike, I highly recommend the Peloton.
+Or if you're just looking for a new home fitness product, their Peloton Digital
+subscription which just provides access to their large variety of floor
+classes.
+
+---
+
+In my training for [AIDS/LifeCycle](https://www.aidslifecycle.org/) over the
+past two months I have written over 280 miles on my Peloton bike but there's a
+lot further to go!
+
+I hope you will join me, and thousands of other supporters, to end AIDS!
+
+My donation page, and fundraising progress, can be found
+**[here](http://tofighthiv.org/goto/rtyler)**.
+